Drawbar carrier for draft riggings



w. J. METZGER DRAWBAR CARRIER FOR DRAFT RIGGINGS Julyv 18, 1950 Filed NOV. 1, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet l N w? m H l R r m NW 3 E 3 INVENTOR WILLIAM J. M ETZGER BY M I ATTO J y 9 W..J. METZGER 2,515,964

DRAWBAR CARRIER FOR DRAFT. RIGGINGS Filed Nov. 1,1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR 68 WILLIAM J. METZGER ATTORNEQ' Pafentecl July 18, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DRAWBAR CARRIER FOR DRAFT RIGGINGS WilliamJ. Metzger, East Cleveland, Ohio, assign- 'or to National. Malleable and Steel Castings Company, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application November 1, 1944, Serial No. 561,368

7 Claims. (Cl. 213-60) The invention relates to draft, rigging for railway cars and more articularlyto carrier iron, sill reinforcement and backstop construction for use in conjunction with freight car couplers of a type which may be angled both horizontally and nection of my copending application aforesaid is that it permits the point of connection of the coupler shank to be brought farther in from the end of. the car toward the forward end. of the draft gear or draft gear follower. It isan object of my present invention. to: provide a backstop construction which makes it possible to move the draftgear and forward stops farther in from the end of the car, thus to further increase the distance from the end of the car to the point of attachment of the coupler shank, or which, if used with types of attachment other than shown in my co-pending application aforesaid, will in every case increase this distance from the end of the car to the oint of attachment of the coupler shank. v

It is a further object of the invention to provide an improved support for the'forward end of a coupler which. is mounted. for both vertical and horizontal angling.

Another object is to provide a striking casting construction which permits increased coupler angling and also serves to reinforce the center sills adjacent the end sills of the car.

Other objects and advantages of. my invention will appear more fully as the description proceeds. v s

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a central horizontal sectional view, partly in plan-oi a draft rigging embodying, in preferred form, the features of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a central vertical. longitudinal sectional View of the draft rigging shown in Fig. 1,

with the coupler shank and radial draft member shown in side elevation.

Fig. 3 is a detail cross-sectional view taken as indicated at 3-3 in Fig. 2; and Fig. 4 is 'a detail cross-sectional view taken as indicated at .4-4 in Fig. 1. l

One of the primary advantages of the yoke con- 2 tures of my invention resides in the provision of a novel form of combined center and backstop casting, which is indicated generally at 15. This casting is formed in such a manner as to bring the backstop shoulders l6 closer to center pin bearing l 'l than in the conventional construction. This has been accomplished without sacrificing strength and rigidity, and also without interposing any obstacle to the insertion and removal of the draft gear and yoke. Casting l5. has a bottom wall 13 and side walls is, which are joined to each other and to the center pin bearing ll by a series of vertical webs 20, 2t, 22, and by the horizontal web 23. The bottom wall It terminates rearwardly of the stop shoulders It as at 24. This forward edge is recessed at 25, affording a clearance between the rear end. of the yoke 26 when the draft gear is not compressed, permitting insertion and removal of the draft gear and yoke from a position directly below the normal yoke position when the carriers 12 and I3 are removed.

The vertical web 2| terminates forwardly in a transverse web 21 which, at its outer ends,

merges with forwardly extending flanges 28, de-

fining a recess 29 (Fig. 1) constructed and arranged toreceive the rear end of the yoke 26 when the draft gear is compressed in bufling. Diagonal webs 30 connect the forward ends of the side walls l9 with the ends of the transverse web 21. The horizontal web 23 terminates forwardly in a depending flange 3i, and rearwardly in a depending flange 32, the flange 32 extending laterally and curving rearwardly to merge with the side walls IS.

The side walls 19 extend rearwardly, as at 33, to provide for supplementary attaching means between the casting l5 and sills Ill, as by the rivets shown in Figs. land 2, further reinforcement being obtained by flanges 34, which at their forward ends adjoin the vertical walls of backstops l6. and which at their rearward ends adjoin a transverse web 35, tying the two sides of the casting I5. together at the rearmost point thereof. The transverse web 35 may be further strengthened by a depending flange 36. The rearward extensions 33. are cut away at their lower sides, terminating in an inclined flange 31. Flanges all and web 35 are secured tothe inwardly extending top flanges of the sills Ill, the side walls 19 and their extensions 33 being secured tor-the vertical walls or the sills;.and the bottom wall It being secured tothe truck bolster .in the provision of an improved striking. casting and flexible support for the coupler carrier iron,

which I shall now describe with particular retorence to Figs. 1, 2 and 3 of the drawings. The strikingfcasting' lflis designed to provide for the requisite vertical and horizontal angling of the coupler 4|. This striking casting has a rectangular opening for the coupler shank and comprises an upper wall 42 with depending side walls 43 flaring outwardly as shown in Fig. 1. An attaching flange 44 extends upwardly from the upper wall 42 and transversely from the walls 43 as shown best in Fig. 3, and a reinforcing flange 45 extends upwardly from the walls 42 and transversely from the walls 43. Web 44*, in linewith the lateral portions of the flange 44, extends across the lower end of the striking casting as shown in Fig. 2. Similarly the web 45 in line with the lateral portions of the flange 45, extends across the lower end of the striking casting, forming, with the flange 45, the face of the striking casting. Further reinforcement is provided by a web 46 joining the flanges 44 and 45 at the top of the casting. The webs, or transverse elements 44 and 45 form the lower part of the coupler opening. The top wall 42 extends rearwardly of the attaching flange 45 to form another attaching flange 42 and side walls 43 likewise extend rearwardly of the attaching flange 46 to form attaching flanges 43 overlying the outside of the sills l and secured thereto. Attachment of the striking casting to the outside of the sills makes it possible to provide increased coupler angling horizontally. Side walls 43 are provided with offset portions 4! (Fig. 3) at their lower ends to receive the flanges of the carrier iron. The offset portions 41 terminate in inwardly extending flanges 48 forming stop-shoulders 49. The lower ends of the offset portions 41 terminate in laterally extending flanges 50, which also adjoin the lower ends of the transverse flange 44. The center sills H) are 'cut' off short of the end sill l0 to further increase permissible horizontal coupler angling, and my improved striking casting construction serves to reinforce the sills l and to tie them in to the end construction.

The flexible coupler carrier comprises the carrier iron 5|, spring seat (or attaching member) 52, springs 53 and retaining bolt 54, this carrier assembly being arranged at the lower part of the coupler opening between the transverse elements 44* and 45 A wearing plate 55 is welded or otherwise secured to the top of the carrier.

The carrier iron 5| has a top wall 56 and depending side walls 51 extending around the four sides thereof and terminating at each end of the carrier in an outwardly extending flange 58 for engagement with the shoulders, or stop means, 49 of the striking casting. A clearance is provided between the sides of the carrier iron and the flanges 48 of the carrier, permitting vertical movement of the carrier iron. The carrier iron is further provided with centering means for the upper ends of the springs 53 such as the annular bosses 59 and 50. Similar centering means are provided on the top of the spring seat 52 for centering the lower ends of the springs. The central boss 50 of the carrier iron is apertured to receive the retaining bolt 54. The upper side of the carrier iron 55 is recessed at 6| to receive the head of the retaining bolt 54. The spring seat 52 is reinforced by depending transverse flanges 62.

The carrier iron 5|, spring seat 52 and springs 53 are assembled with the retaining bolt 54 prior to assembly in the striking casting, the springs flexible carrier assembly is then placed in the ings and'is secured to the'flanges 50 of th striking casting, as at 63, with the flanges 58 of the carrier iron bearing upwardy against the shoulders 49 of the striking casting. With flexible carriers of the construction heretofore known, it has been found that undesirable vertical movement of the coupler occurs on a level track or uniform grade-4. e., under conditions where vertical angling of the coupler is not required. This is in the natureof a jouncing action. Attempts have been made to overcome this by increasing the initial compression of the springs, but it has been found that when this is done, breakage of the retaining'bolt 54 or other retaining means is experienced under conditions which bring the coupler shank sharply upward following compression of the resilient carrier. In the construction I'have described, the engagement of the carrier iron with the stop means 49 on the striking casting to limit upward movement of the carrier 'iron' prevents breakage of the retaining bolt orother retaining'means which carry the major portion of the impact produced under these conditions. Thus it is possible to pre-compress the springs sufliciently to prevent or greatly minimize the jouncing action which hitherto has been encountered under conditions not requiring vertical angling of the coupler.

Another featureof my resilient carrier construction resides in the arrangement of the upper edgeof the transverse web 45 of the carrier in a position to act as a limiting stop for the downward angling of the coupler, contact between the under side of the coupler shank and the upper edge of the web 45 occurring just befor the springs 53 go o versolid, or at the moment that the springs go oversolid.

Referring now to Fig. 4, I have shown a construction employing draft gear supports 64 which are carried by the yoke support l2 and are secured thereto as by the rivets 65. In this way the yoke carrier or support l2 serves a dual function as it directly supports the yoke and, through the members 64, also supports the draft gear in a position slightly above the lower arm of the yoke) 26'. This permits limited twisting of the yoke about its horizontal center line without requiring twisting of the draft gear. To this same end the upper and lower inside surfaces of the forward draft stops M are beveled as at 55, permitting angling ofthe head 5? of the yoke without interferencewith the stops. Freedom of yoke angling is also facilitated by the arcuate form of the center of the supports l2 and Is at 58 and B9, cooperating with the complementary curved surface of the lower end of the yoke adjacent to .said supports. A wear plate i0 is secured to the under side of the upper flanges of the sill H) in a position over the yoke.

As I have stated, my invention may be employed in coiiiunctionwith universal yoke connections of various types but is particularly adapted for use in conjunction with the type of connection described mmy co-pending application (SerialNo. 561,367), and this is the type of connection I have shown "for illustrative purposes. It comprises, in conjunction with the radial shank of the coupler 4|, a radial draft and buffing member H pivotallysecured to the coupler shank by means of the vertical pin 12 and pivotally secured to the head of the yoke26 by the horizontal draft pin 13, and a radial bufiing block 14 arranged in being placed under substantial compression. This interlocking engagement with recesses 15 in the head of the yoke. This construction is covered by the claims of my co-pending application aforesaid. It will be seen that by my invention I have provided a resilient carrier construction which insures an improved draft connection under conditions which do not require vertical angling, which is further characterized by its resistance to breakage of the retaining bolt and by providing means to protect the springs against excessive oversolid stresses; also, that my invention provides improved radial coupling conditions for universal draft connection by bringing the radial connection farther in from the end of the car, thus decreasing the requisite angling of the couplers for given track curvature or grade changes.

The terms and expressions which I have employed are used as terms of description and not of limitation, and I have no intention, in the use of such terms and expressions, of excluding any equivalents of the features shown and described or portions thereof, but recognize that various modifications are possible within the scope of the invention claimed.

I claim:

1. In combination, a striking casting having an opening for a coupler shank, and a coupler carrier, the lower part of the coupler opening in the striking casting being formed by spaced transverse elements and a bottom element extending across the lower part of the striking casting, the coupler carrier being arranged for vertical movement between said transverse elements and comprising a carrier iron and supporting spring therefor, and a stop shoulder on the inside of said striking casting arranged for engagement by an edge portion of the carrier iron to limit its upward movement, the clearance between the carrier iron and said bottom element being at least as great as the clearance between the coupler shank and the top of at least one of said transverse elements.

2. In combination, a striking casting having an opening for a coupler shank, and a coupler carrier mounted on the striking casting for vertical movement at the lower side of said opening, the coupler carrier comprising a carrier iron, an attaching member and spring means arranged between the carrier iron and attaching member,

retaining means for holding the elements of the coupler carrier in assembled relationship prior to mounting of the carrier on the striking casting, and a. stop shoulder on the striking casting arranged for engagement by an edge portion of the carrier iron to limit its upward movement when the carrier assembly is mounted on the striking casting.

3. In combination, a striking casting having an opening for a coupler shank, and a coupler carrier mounted on the striking casting at the lower side of said opening, the lower part of the coupler opening in the striking casting being formed by spaced transverse elements extending across the lowerpart of the striking casting, the coupler carrier being arranged for vertical movement between said transverse elements, the coupler carrier comp-rising a carrier iron, an attaching member and spring means arranged between the carrier iron and attaching member, retaining means for holding the elements of the coupler carrier in assembled relationship prior to mounting of the carrier on the striking casting, and a stop on the striking casting arranged for engagement by an edge portion of the carrier iron to limit its upward movement, the stop being further arranged to engage the carrier iron in a position in which the spring means is under substantial compression.

4. In combination, a striking casting having an opening for a coupler shank, and a coupler carrier, the lower part of the coupler opening in the striking casting being formed by spaced transverse elements extending across the lower part of the striking casting, the coupler carrier being arranged for vertical movement between said transverse elements and comprising a carrier iron and supporting spring therefor, and a stop on the striking casting arranged for engagement by the carrier iron to limit its upward movement, at least one of said transverse elements being disposed in a position to be engaged by the coupler to prevent the spring from being driven solid through engagement of the coupler shank with said transverse element when the coupler shank is fully depressed.

5. In combination, a striking casting having an opening for a coupler shank, a pocket beneath .said opening having front, rear, side and bottom walls, spring means in said pocket and a coupler carrier iron supported by said spring means, stop lugs on the inner walls of said striking casting and cooperating stop lugs on said carrier iron for limiting upward movement of the latter, said spring means being assembled between the bottom wall of said pocket and said carrier iron under a Substantial precompression.

6. A carrier member for assembly in a striking casting, comprising a laterally extending top portion for carrying a coupler shank, downwardly extending walls at the extremities of said top portion, said walls terminating in outwardly extending stop lugs adjacent the sides of the striking casting for engagement with corresponding stop lugs on the inside of said striking casting, the stop lugs of the carrier and. striking casting being positioned to limit upward movement of the carrier to a position in which said coupler shank is held level.

'7. A striking casting comprising a transversely extending top portion and members depending from said top portion defining the top and sides of an opening for reception of a coupler shank, said vertically extending side portions terminating in a pocket member defined by front and rear walls and a bottom closure, said pocket member being adapted for receiving a resilient element for supporting an associated carrier member, said striking casting carrying stop members for engagement with complementary stop members on said carrier member to position said carrier member a predetermined minimum distance below said transverse upper member against the resistance of said resilient element.

WILLIAM J. METZGER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,878,032v Van Dorn Sept. 20, 1932 1,963,066 Barrows June 19, 1934 1,993,712 Barrows Mar. 5, 1935 1,999,652 Campbell Apr. 30, 1935 2,043,090 Barrows June 2, 1936 2,355,524 Garlock et a1 Aug. 8, 1944 2,441,626 Gilpin May 18, 1948 

